Col. Elijah Clarke, distinguished Revolutionary soldier, in charge of American troops stationed on the mountain, fought a battle with the British and Indians in the valley across Broad River . The river, since straightened by a canal, then flowed by the foot of the mountain. The river bridge, known as the Line Bridge is on the survey line of the "Last Four Mile Purchase Tract" bought from the Cherokee Indians by the government. General Wofford and a party appointed by the State Legislature rode horseback to Washington to intercede with the government to buy this land.

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Cannonball Stage Line Highway KS16
Flamboyant and colorful, Donald R. "Cannonball" Green (1839-1922) ran a stage line connecting the railroad to towns across southwestern Kansa. Green started his first stage service in Kingman in 1876. It ran through Pratt to Coldwater and later to Greensburg, a town he helped found in 1886.

Greens's stage line served areas not reached by the railroad, and for a few years he also carried the mail from Wichita to Kingman. Known for their speed, Greens's coached were pulled by teams of six or eight horses which were changed every eight to ten miles. More than just a driver, Green was an advisor and teacher, sharing with passengers his knowledge of southwestern Kansas and the prairie landscape.

As the railroads advanced, Green moved his stage service west but stage demand soon dwindled. In 1898 he took a claim in Oklahoma Territory when the Cherokee Strip opened. Although Green also served in the Kansas legislature, he was best known for his stage route between Kingman and Greensburg, the Cannonball Highway, which became U.S. Highway 54.

Green died in Long Beach, California and is buried in Maple Grove Cemetery in Wichita.

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Last Land Rush KS153
On September 16, 1893, 15,000 land hungry whites gathered here to make "the Run" into the Cherokee Outlet to the south. Caldwell was 1 of 9 places where over 100,000 potential settlers awaited cavalry soldiers' gunshots to start the last land rush in the United States. The Outlet, commonly, but incorrectly, referred to as the "Strip", contained 6,000,000 acres and roughly laid between Caldwell, Stillwater, and the Oklahoma Panhandle.

Originally set aside for the Indians in 1835, the Outlet went unused and white cattleman grazed Texas longhorn cattle across it on the way to eastern markets. Under heavy pressure from while landsquatters, known as "boomers", and lacking help from federal authorities to protect their property, the Indians reluctantly began negotiations with Washington in 1889.

The Cherokees sold the Outlet to the government in 1891 for $8.5 million but when Congress finally appropriated the monies in 1893, the Indians were shorted $200,000.

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Stock Exchange Bank KS171
The Stock Exchange Bank is the oldest business in Caldwell and occupies one of the oldest surviving buildings in town. It received a State Charter on November 12, 1881 and opened for business the following December 24th. The stone building erected to house the bank in 1881, at a cost of $5,000, is still in use but has undergone several major remodeling projects. The steerhead emblem has always been associated with the bank which was allied with the cattle business of the southwest from the beginning. The bank has a colorful history being witness to Caldwell's cowtown era. In the main lobby is a pair of cattle hornes measuring 7'2" across, brought from southern Texas during the early cattle drives. At one time the bank's vault held 100,000 silver dollars to pay Indian allotments as the Indians would not accept paper money.

The first officers were Major A. Drumm, President; Charles H. Moore, Cashier; and John W. Nyce, Assistant Cashier.

Major Drumm came to Caldwell in the early 1870s on a cattle drive from Texas over the Chisholm Trail. He established the "U" Ranch in Indian Territory near Caldwell in 1874. Drumm later founded the Cherokee Strip Livestock Association which was instrumental in founding the bank. The Livestock Association's offices were at one time located on the second story over the bank. Drumm also founded the Klowas Town Company which established the city of Klowa, Kansas.

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